Follow TV Fanatic Girl on Twitter!

Category: American Horror Story: Cult

So after finishing up FX’s American Horror Story: Cult last night, I started thinking about how it held up against the other seasons. Before the premiere of AHS : Cult, Ryan Murphy, co-creater of the series, had posted the nine circles of hell from Dante’s Inferno:

Limbo (Murder House)

Lust

Gluttony (Hotel)

Greed (Freak Show)

Anger (Roanoke)

Heresy (Cult)

Violence

Fraud (Asylum)

Treachery (Coven)

Murphy had previous explained that each season is connected, but the link to the nine circles of hell invests the viewer into new theories and also suggests that the series will have an end after season 9. Perhaps it is all meant to keep fans on the edge of their seats, but it does make one really think about the similarities to each circle of hell and how they are all intertwined. After watching all of the seasons so far, I have ranked them in the following order (best-worst):

Coven

Hotel

Murder House

Cult

Asylum

Freak Show

Roanoke

While you may agree or disagree with my rankings, it really got me thinking about how this matches up with Inferno’s nine circles of hell. The last (ninth) circle of hell is “treachery” which matches up with my overall pick for best season, AHS: Coven. For me, the betrayal in “Coven” really scratches beneath the surface and tugs at your soul. On the surface, the witch-craft element is very entertaining and reminiscent of the movie, The Craft. However, there are a lot more elements going on in the show and treachery is at its core.

My second favorite season is AHS: Hotel which pairs up with “gluttony.” According to Inferno, “Gluttony” is the third circle of hell. Those who are guilty of “gluttony” are forced to lie in a slush created by an icy rain which is meant to represent those who have overindulged in “food, drink, and other worldly pleasures.” The icy rain that brings an eternal bitter cold to the sinner connects me to the Countess portrayed by Lady Gaga in AHS: Hotel. She is a vampire already representing eternity and feeds on the blood of others. What’s really interesting to me is that in this circle of hell, the beings punished are not able to see the other victims lying near them because of their own selfishness. Not being able to feel remorse or love for others is dangerous enough, but its combination with gluttony is even more so.

My third favorite season is the first season AHS: Murder House. Interestingly enough, this aligns with “Limbo,” which is the first circle of hell. This could be just a coincidence, but those who are trapped here are unable to move on to heaven and are forced to reside in an inferior version, much like ghosts who are unable to move on, which appear throughout Murder House.

If the theory is true, that would leave AHS with 2 more seasons representing “Lust” and “Violence.” While I am not sure if we will see any burning rain or violent winds, it really gives the viewer a lot to think about in terms of what type of premise we will see next.

I just finished watching yesterday’s episode of FX’s American Horror Story: Cult and I am still trembling. Please note spoilers are ahead if you have not gotten a chance to watch yet. The violence in this episode was beyond extreme, flashing back to the Charles Manson murders and glorifying the other stabbing of recurring character, Gary which had me shielding my eyes and cringing. That was not the hardest part to watch for me, however. It was the look in Evan Peters’s eyes who plays Kai when he choked the last breath of life out of his beloved sister, Winter, portrayed by Billie Lourd. The acting in American Horror Story: Cult has surpassed the previous seasons in my opinion. It was wonderful to see Bille Lourd branch out of supporting role in Fox’s canceled series, Scream Queens and bring a truly haunting element to her character while still being likable behind her empty stares. The stand out performance for me has been Evan Peters who is so believable as his character, Kai Anderson, that it makes me fear what would happen if this character truly existed in the real world.

This series has had its share of ups and downs for me as I have been trying to follow along to see which plot twist to cling to more, as a new story branches out with each episode. The beginning of the series had me waking up in the middle of the night, clutching my teddy bear, fearing that one of the dreaded clown-masked culprits had broken in. The series has grown past Ally’s fears and paranoia, played brilliantly by the wonderful Sarah Paulson, however. She has grown into a strong woman filled with rage, clarity, and an unquenched thirst for revenge, as she has been picking apart Kai’s plan going unnoticed.

Kai made several comments throughout this most recent episode about how inferior women are to men and how they can never lead because they were too emotional. However, Ally and Beverly are about to unravel that as they continue to cut deeper into Kai’s own emotional baggage which has now spilled out into the open after killing his own sister for fear of her possible betrayal. After the killing off of some major characters, it makes the viewer wonder who will survive it all and come out on top. I for one am counting the days until the finale next Tuesday and the preview suggests that Ally and Beverly will undo everything that Kai has tried to accomplish and unleash the untamed rage to the surface of these scorned and no longer broken women.